Sun Warriors
|leaders=Sun Warrior Chief |notablemembers=Ham Ghao |founders= |headquarters=Sun Warrior's Ancient City |affiliation= |purpose=To Protect the Ancient Origin of all Firebending. }} The Sun Warriors were the original civilization that first discovered Firebending from the dragons. They were the precursors to the modern-day Fire Nation. They were believed to have died out - much like the Air Nomads - thousands of years ago, but are still alive living under secrecy near the ruins of their once thriving city. History The Sun Warriors revere and guard the two great Firebending masters, Ran and Shao; one of which is a red dragon, while the other a blue dragon. These dragons pass on the secrets of Firebending by breathing a multicolored flame over those they deem worthy. The Sun Warriors developed all of the original Firebending forms, such as the Dancing Dragon, but their philosophy is radically different from the present-day Fire Nation. While most consider Firebending to be an instrument of destruction fueled by rage and hate, the Sun Warriors believe it represents life and energy, as if there was a Sun within every Firebender. They are keepers of the Eternal Flame, a great fire that is said to be the first given to mankind by the dragons. The Sun Warriors prefer to keep their society secret to the outside world, presumably to ensure the survival of the two dragons. Therefore, anyone who discovers their tribe and is deemed worthy to know the nature of firebending is instructed to never, ever reveal the existence of the tribe to anybody else. Aang and Zuko kept their word, seeing that while they mention the learned form, they make no mention about the supposedly lost civilization. Trivia * The culture of the Sun Warriors may be partially based on the sun-worshiping Aztecs and Mayans, American civilizations in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The Aztecs and Mayans were sun worshippers and careful observers of astrological movement. One of the first buildings shown resembles the real life pyramids of these civilizations * The Sun Warrior's compound includes architecture inspired by Southeast Asian landmarks such as the Candi of Indonesia, Angkor Wat, and Phanom Rung. * The Sun Warriors' chants at the Dragon Ceremony sound similar to the chants at the end credits of Avatar. * The primary ziggurat in the Sun Warrior Compound bears a striking resemblance to the Candi Sukuh in Indonesia. Step Pyramid style ziggurats also exist in Mesopotamian and Mesoamerican architecture. * Another possible basis for the Sun Warrior's culture could be the Chinese Sun Tzu warriors, devoted scholars and skilled fighters who believed in fighting with skill, not brute force. * The Warriors' dress is also reminiscent of traditional Southeast Asian warrior dress, particularly the headdress of the leader, which resembles Iban feather headdresses. * The way most Sun Warriors wear their hair resembles Zuko's ponytail in Book One. * It is shown that Uncle Iroh had previous knowledge of this tribe, and was the origin of his nickname, "The Dragon Of the West". * Since the Sun Warriors were the first people to master firebending it is possible the first Avatar born into the Fire Nation was a Sun Warrior. It is also possible that early Avatars from other nations learned their firebending from the Sun Warriors. * Despite their isolation and secrecy, they have surprisingly high amount of knowledge of current events. See Also * Sun Warrior's Ancient City * Firebending * Organizations in the World of Avatar